Game
by Draqonelle
Summary: Xellos plays with Zelgadis, Zelgadis plays back. My friends enjoyed the imagery (inspired by the original 1995 Emmy award winner Dexter's Laboratory)


I call it a game

Game

I call it a game.My race calls a game.There was once something in me that thought this was more serious. But it was never like you.You experience this in a thousand ways.

There is one game that is older than the others.We all know the rules.We all know there is no score.A demon cannot cheat, an angel cannot excel, and only two play. Some play it to eat.We play it to live.

You are a chimera looking at your slim blue form, unreal, constructed for marble beauty.Your fingers cause the water to ripple, across your sweet face and your lips (that are soft still) and your blue eyes. You are lovely because someone made you strong and the lovely side of vicious.They could have made you an ugly thing, but that would have weakened you too.Your beauty is a power too, that you didn't have in flesh and hair and soft eyelashes.

I hear your hair rustle, tinkling softly like bone chimes.The water splashes against your face, down forever hard and smooth skin.It will never change.Your eyes gaze off.What are you thinking about? Are you thinking about that vile curse that will change this form?Are you thinking about what it means to be alone?No you are thinking about something different as the much warm water touches you the way I want too.I can hear you now.The Mazoku know when they are summoned.That is why we are dangerous.We know when we are desired, when a mortal cries to us or calls us.You are more human than you can imagine.You are thinking about me.

You are blushing as you see me.But you know you can't fight, you called me in your mind, like some animal wanting to be free.We are standing there. Naked.I'm looking at you.I am what you wanted.Now we will play.

"You go first." I say. "Choose your form."

"What?" You say," Get out of my bath." You toss your sponge so hard it stings my skin.

"You want me here.Chose your form."

Zelgadis takes a step back.

You are a human.Your hair is dark and curly.Your skin is white.Your eyes are the same.

"Oh my.I'm human." Zelgadis looks at himself.

I grasp onto you tightly.And kiss those lips.

"Now it is my turn."

And I back away from the lovely human.

I am a monster.My wolf head is upon a spider body, each leg as tall as a man.I walk towards you and spit my web around your feet.You trip.

Your human flesh would taste good but you wriggle free.

"What is going on?"

I roar and on spindly legs descend to catch him.

I grab you again.

"What is this?Xellos what is going on?"

But you know.They truth sparkles behind the fear in your eyes, as this dream of your old flesh makes you weak and vulnerable to me.That broke a small part of you when I burned the Claire Bible, an uneven pebble of your beauty that shed away.Your human form is nothing to me.Now I can eat it without a thought.

I am a fierce, as my mandibles break your white flesh.

Then you know you can't hide the game. You cannot stop it. You cannot run from it.It will not feed you, but you play it to live.

You change into a form you recognize.You are a garou, a werewolf of long fang and black claw.Like your Dilgear, a face and a form you saw a hundred times.You remember how to play.Your claws slash through my thin spindly legs.Your teeth wound me.

I grab you by your neck and toss you about.Trying to destroy you.

You are an elephant.You are larger than even me.You can crush this form. But you are not a hunter yet. You are slow.You are vulnerable

I am a dragon with dusky mane.I lunge at your throat.

You blink and turn into a grey weasel I cannot hold you.You slink into the grass.I slam my paws trying to find you.This is a strange stratagem.Not my style.But you are clever.So I follow your lead.

I am a violet mole with tiny eyes that glisten like stars.Maybe like the form you know me in. Small eyes.I dig after you.My smell is keener. I will find you and sneak up on you.

But you read me.Your turn.You look at me.

You are a wild dog.You pounce upon me.I dodge. You could have won this game if I had never played, and it wasn't my turn.

I turn into a Vulture with cloudy black wings.

You turn into a hyena.You are a canine person.I see.You return to these creatures.

I turn into your enemy, a lion with dusky mane.Your large paws are smaller than mine.Your deadly jaws are no avail.I swipe a lion's paw across your nose.You retreat back.I've beaten you.

But it is your turn, and you will not admit it.

You go for speed.You slough your bulk for the form of a bearded lizard.

I will not be outrun.You might dart along.But there are faster animals.

I sacrifice my strength for a smaller cat. A cheetah gold and black descending upon the lizard like a bolt of lightning.

I pounce and you duck once.

You go back to your human form.You grab a branch to club me with.

"Alright Xellos I win.Now what do you want?What have we been doing?Why am I human?"

I blink once and turn to an old stratagem.

I turn into a gladfly and fly towards him.

It takes one swat of the hand.Bulk does help.

You know that my pride would lead to the cheetah.You know the curse of the cheetah their short stamina.I'm curled into a heaving pile of fur and spots, trying to breath again.You know I don't do well as a cat.

You go back to your human form.You grab a branch and hold it at my throat.

"Alright Xellos I win."

I blink once and turn to an old stratagem.

I turn into a gadfly and fly towards you.

It takes one swat of the hand.Bulk does help.

You know that my pride would lead to the cheetah.

I have one last form.I have not worn in three thousand years.I am a wolf, my fur is black it has flecks of violet and looks like starlight.I am large and sleek from the fat of weak and lazy men and their silly sheep. It's hard to wear an old skin.

I look at you. We are both in the skins we were born in.You look at me coldly.

"I'm going to win." Zelgadis says.

He is strong. And I am strong.But he knows why I will not win.I am a lone wolf, and I prayed like wolves can not to be strong enough to live.Prayers were answered by ancient Mazoku.But this is my last skin.Never ever did I ever think to ask for another by my side. I never prayed for a pack to run with me. My dark body cannot hide. And I never asked for anything except for myself.And now I'm looking at you.I never asked for a mate. You who share my lonliness and never sought anyone.

You step back. Then forward.

"I knew you weren't human."

I approach him.

"I could beat you just as easily as you beat me."

We stare with our forever eyes buried and hooked into each other.

"You make a lovely wolf Xellos." You kneel.

I feel you lips against my mouth, against my wolf's face.Your hands carress and comb through my fur.You lie me against the ground and kiss my body.I can feel the game end.And my human form returning and the warm flesh of you fading and cooling into stone.I touch you with my arms, my handsgrasp back at you.

There is one game that is older than the others.We all know the rules.We all know there is no score.A demon cannot cheat, an angel cannot excell, only two play. Some play it to eat.We play it to live.

You are my mate.I cannot leave my mate.I will stay with you till I am dead and my body rots.I love you.Game over.

***

Zelgadis woke up next to Xellos and they were both naked.

"Oi Zelgadis.You have to be more gentle.I think you could have damaged me."

"Oh god."

"I'm lucky I'm still alive you freak." Xellos wrapped his arms around his neck.

"What did you do to me? You complete-"

Zelgadis stood up.

"We made love."

"What?"

"We made love. And it was perfect.It was better than I imagined."

Zelgadis was frozen long enough for Xellos to kiss him.

"What?"

"Thank you." Xellos smiled.

"No no.I'm not…You… You…" Zelgadis didn't think of the word yet."Not you.I won't let you have this from me.You with your stupid games.I'm not your game.I won't … You won't play me.I won't be another creature you destroy.

"Zelgadis."

"Don't say anything."

"Don't you remember what you said to me?Even if you don't remember the words.Don't you feel it?"Xellos held his hand.

Zelgadis looked at how their hands hooked.

Zelgadis let go of his hand.

"You can't trick me.You can't make me believe… I think I would remember if we…" Zelgadis pushed him away.

"You can't remember what we did?You can't remember what you told me?"

Zelgadis turned around."I'd remember if someone took my virginity Xellos.I'm not stupid."

"Zelgadis here I thought you were an all day sucker."

"What?"

"You are smart.If I am going to trick that fine chimera ass into my bed I'm going to have to try a lot harder."

"I would never do that.How dare you try that?As if I felt something?"

"oh that.Sore wa himitsu desu."

"When will you leave me be?"

Xellos turned around.

"You know Zel-chan you'd be great in the sack. I bet you're a real animal…"


End file.
